Ignatius Joseph III Yonan

Patriarch of Antioch

Ignatius Joseph III Yonan

Patriarch of Antioch

Ephrem Joseph Younan was born at Hassaké, Syria on November 15, 1944 and was ordained a priest on September 12, 1971. He served as director of the Seminary of Charfet for two years, as Director of Catechesis of the diocese of Hassaké for seven years and as pastor of the Church of the Annunciation in Beirut up to 1986.

In 1986 he was sent to the United States to establish missions for the Syrian Catholic faithful. He founded a mission in Newark, New Jersey (Our Lady of Deliverance) and others in North Hollywood (Sacred Heart) in 1991 and in San Diego (Our Mother of Perpetual Help) in 1994.

On November 6, 1995, Pope John Paul II erected the Syrian Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance in Newark for all the Syrian Catholics of the United States and Canada, and appointed Ephrem Joseph Younan as first eparch (bishop). He was thus consecrated bishop on January 7, 1996 by Ignace Antoine II Hayek and served in the United States until his election as Primate and Patriarch of the Syriac Catholic Church on January 20, 2009. His election was confirmed by Pope Benedict XVI on January 22, 2009.

Along with His Eminence Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, Patriarch Younan will serve as a co-president of the October 2010 Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East in the Vatican.

Our Ministers

JSH. CH. CA

Yousif Benham Habash,

Bishop of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance

Bishop

Yousif Benham Habash,

Bishop of the Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance

Born 1 June 1951 at Qaraqosh, Iraq, Yousif Behnam Habash entered St. John’s Seminary in Mosul in 1965 at the age of 14. From 1970 to 1972 he performed military service in Iraq. Thereafter, when the Mosul seminary closed, he completed his seminary studies at Charfet, Lebanon, studying at the Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik. He was ordained a priest for the Archeparchy of Mosul on 31 August 1975 after which time he was assigned to a parish in his home town of Qaraqosh and worked in youth ministry. He later served as vicar and then pastor of Sacred Heart Parish, in Basra.

In 1994, he was assigned to the Syrian Catholic Mission of North America, serving first in Newark, New Jersey and, from 2001 on, at the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in West Hollywood, California.

In April 2010, he was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as the second eparch of the Syrian Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Deliverance of Newark. He was consecrated a bishop on 11 July 2010 by his predecessor Ephrem Joseph Younan, who had been elected Patriarch of Antioch and all the East of the Syrians.

Eparch Habash's territory includes the United States and Canada.

Priests

Missionary

Reverend Father Andrwos Habash

Past Parochial Vicar of Jesus Sacred Heart Church

2010 - 2015

Reverend Andrwos was born in the village of Qara Qosh, Iraq on January 10, 1977 and was given the name Amiar. He is the son of Behnam Betrus Mansoor Habash and of Sabiha Mousa Habash.He ended his primary and intermediate studies in his home town. In 1998, he graduated from the Industrial Secondary School, Electric department and entered the Shamoun Safa Institute in Baghdad the same year to begin his Philosophical, Theological and Human Sciences at Babel Pontifical College.He received his Baccelaurate in Sacred Theology in 2005 and was ordained on June 5, 2005 by the imposition of the hands of His Excellency Mar Basilius Georges Al Qasmoussa in Qara Qosh.He served his home village for five years. He was entrusted with priest’s affairs and taking care of the Youth Activities besides the different fraternities, i.e.; The Caritas, a charitable organization devoted to the poor.Also, he was the spiritual guide and administrator of the students transportation to and from Qara Qosh to the city of Mosul. He took it upon himself to give of his time to help the Emergency Relief Efforts of all Christians refugee from the neighboring city of Mosul due to the escalating persecution of the Chrisitans in Iraq.In 2010, he was elected by the priests of his home village to become the Dean of Priests, taking the responsibilities and the services dealing with the priests and the parishioners of Qara Qosh. Later the same year, by request of His Excellency Mar Barnaba Yousif Habash, Reverend Father Andrwos joined the Our lady of Deliverance Diocese on February 11, 2011 to serve the parish of Jesus Sacred Heart, North Hollywood California as their Parochial Vicar.Reverend Father Habash is a published writer. He wrote several articles for religious and social magazines. Also, he has published two books; the first is entitle “The Journey of Lent and the Easter Communion”, the second is entitled “Genesis”.

Reverend Father Aphram Mushe

Parochial Vicar of Jesus Sacred Heart Church

2015

Reverend Aphram Mushe speaks Aramaic, Arabic and English. He achieved a bachelor of Sacred Theology from Babylon Collage for Philosophy and Theology in Baghdad, Iraq on June, 6 2008.After completing his studies he started as an assistant priest in St. George Church and soon became the director of the cultural center in the church, the guide of the religion education in the parish, the scouts administrator for the young and adults divisions. He was also the guide of St George love and joy brotherhood.On January 16 of 2011 he was appointed Secretary for Archbishop Yohanna Butrous Mouche in Syriac Catholic Diocese of Mosul in Nineveh, IraqOn August 1st 2011 he took on Pastoral assignments along with doing occasional rites, special events and ceremonies in St. James Church in Nineveh, Iraq.On April 1st of 2012 he became the administrator of the Priest house in Qaraqush, Nineveh, Iraq.On September 10 of 2013 he became of the Parish’s priests appointed with Pastoral duties along with occasional rites, special events and ceremonies in Our lady of Deliverance Parish in Bayonne, New Jersey, USA.